AS the African Cup of Nations reaches a climax this weekend, Boro winger Mustapha Carayol will be a keen spectator.

Mali play Ghana in the third place play-off tonight before big boys Nigeria face minnows Burkina Faso tomorrow.

And Carayol will be closely weighing up the standard of play in the silverware showdown in South Africa.

For the flying flanker knows he could be yet be playing in the next tournament - if the Gambian FA get their man.

“There’s been a lot of talk about that,” admitted Carayol. “But we are still at the wait and see stage right now.”

Carayol is top of a wish list of European-based ex-pats the Gambian FA hope to persuade to join their team as they overhaul their national set-up.

The Scorpions are ranked 100th in the FIFA list and have never qualified for the African Cup of Nation or the World Cup.

But they have an ambitious new development plan with the key being persuading Europe-based ex-pats to commit to playing for the national team in what can often be logistically testing qualification campaigns.

There are Gambia qualified players at high levels in Finland, Greece, Poland, Belgium and the United States.

But Musa Njie, technical director, admits Boro winger Carayol is his top target.

“Carayol is important to us,” he said. “Any player who is at that level, we will make sure we get him. We will try to persuade him.”

Carayol snubbed an earlier approach from Gambia in 2008 to concentrate on carving out a club career - and that remains his priority.

“The club comes first,” he said. “My priority is to do it for Boro and to get established here.

“I’m still only a young player and I’ve only played a handful of games at this club and in this division. I’ve got a lot of work to do at Boro first.

“Eventually maybe I will think about international football and Gambia but to be honest it isn’t in my immediate plans. I need to get my career properly up and running first.”

But while he was born in Banjul, the capital of the West African nation, Carayol grew up in Peckham and is also qualified to play for England - and he hasn’t ruled that out.

“You never know,” he said. “If I can play well, if I can improve, if I can reach that level then anything is possible.”